Please find information below about the 21st EAROPH World Planning & Human Settlement Congress and Mayors’ Caucus as listed on the Globalism Research Centre Bulletin July 2008, http://www.rmit.edu.au/globalism/bulletins.

Japan will be holding the 21st Eastern Regional Organisation for Planning and Housing (EAROPH) World Congress and Mayors’ Caucus on 21-24 October 2008. EAROPH is a non-government multi-sector organisation encompassing the private, public and academic sector. It was established to foster the exchange of insights and experiences among countries in the EAROPH region. The objective of this 21ST EAROPH World Congress and Mayors’ Caucus is to contribute to city development in respective member countries of EAROPH by holding lively discussions on these subjects.

Dates: 21 to 24 October 2008
Egret Himeji and Awaji Yumebutai
International Conference Centre, Japan

For more information:
Email secretariat@ earoph.info
Website (including registration): www.earoph.info

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #68, 15 July 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport.

Ultra Light Rail - Report for Sri Lanka
In 2007 I visited Sri Lanka and met with M.L. Mohamed Yehiya, the Assistant Director of the Urban Development Authority in Hambantota on the far south coast of the island. On December 26, 2004, Hambantota was severely damaged by a tsunami, and the short term solution was to relocate the residents a few kilometres inland.

Presently, much grander plans are in preparation to develop the region into a second capital, with the extension of the heavy rail and the creation of a seaport and international airport. Greater Hambantota is being planned for a population of around three million people.

Sri Lanka is particularly dependent on imported oil and dirty, noisy and crowded buses. A cursory glance at the plans for Greater Hambantota indicated the potential for a tram system running from renewable sources of energy and so I offered to prepare a report on the potential for cost-effective ‘Light Trams’. The report was completed by mid-2008 in time for a visiting delegation of planners from Sri Lanka as part of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) Tsunami Reconstruction Project.

I would particularly like to thank PIA for their assistance in preparing the report and facilitating meetings.

Follow is an extract from the Executive Summary:

• New cities, such as Greater Hambantota, offer a rare opportunity to implement sustainable design at the planning stage. A key component of good urban design is the inclusion of sustainable modes of transport. This report puts the case for one mode, known as ‘Light Tram’ or ‘Ultra Light Rail’.
• Rising fuel prices, greenhouse gases, air pollution, demographic changes and rising expectations for increased mobility provide the imperative to consider innovative and cost-effective transit modes.
• Purchase of Light Tram vehicles is only part of the solution. The tram routes must be carefully considered to ensure they cater for both current and future demand.
• It is essential to make sure that all building and tourist development relates to the transit systems. The best way to achieve this is through clusters of urban villages connected by sustainable transport corridors – a concept known as ‘Pearls-on-a-String (where the ‘pearls’ are the urban villages and the ‘string’ represents the transit corridors.)
• The key reasons for considering good transport planning include: mobility; safety; sustainability; sociability; amenity; economics; and equity.
• Like many countries, Sri Lanka has a precedent of tram usage (in Colombo).
• Greater Hambantota lends itself to the utilisation of a tram system particularly given the establishment of the new sea port, the new airport, and the railway line extension. Also, with the establishment of a new town centre, it is important to maintain the connection to the existing township along with the amenities and commercial activities that the coast provides.
• The tram system could be used for commuters, incidental travellers, tourists, and for the movement of freight.
• A ‘Light Tram’ system is more cost effective than a conventional tram or light rail system, being less significantly expensive to install and operate.
• A ‘Light Tram’ system could be run from renewable forms of power (such as hydro, wind, solar and/or bio fuel) providing the most ecologically responsible way of facilitating people to move around Greater Hambantota.
• Light trams are commercially available from England but they must be designed and constructed to suit Sri Lankan conditions.

Discussed recently in the Post-Carbon Cities Newsletter for July, http://postcarboncities.net/newsletter/jul2008, was the idea of a four-day week driven by energy consumption concerns. See the article below. To view the newsletter visit http://postcarboncities.net/newsletter/jul2008.

“A four-day work week? State workers in Utah are now working four-day weeks. So are county workers in Marion County, Florida. A handful of cities in Nevada, California and Arizona are experimenting with the idea, and Suffolk County, New York and the state of West Virginia are also considering it.

In both private and public offices, the four-day work week is an increasingly popular response to high energy costs. Cutting work days saves employees money because it reduces their commuting by 20%. And if the four days are the same for all employees, it can also save city, county or state governments money in facilities. Marion County officials expect this measure to save them $250,000 in energy costs this year. North Miami hopes to save $200,000 by closing its city hall one day a week - but some argue that there may be tradeoffs in service.

That last point is debatable, because while the facilities will be open fewer days, longer hours may make services more available for citizens who work during the day. At any rate, the four-day workweek is part of the toolbox for officials dealing with energy uncertainty.”

SustainableMelbourne.com and the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab in association with the University of Melbourne’s Entrepreneurs Week would like to invite you to:

The Sustainable Cities Round Table on Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Tuesday 12 August night, 6 – 8pm
Copeland Theatre, Economics & Commerce Building
University of Melbourne
RSVP now to save your seat at rsvp @sustainablemelbourne.com

The challenge of climate change presents many opportunities for new sustainable ventures. Entrepreneurs working in this space are able to creatively develop innovative solutions that have environmental, social and economic benefits, yet like all entrepreneurial ventures it is not without risks. At this Sustainable Cities Round Table we will showcase examples of proactive entrepreneurs who have taken this step and bravely gone where no mainstream business has gone before!

The evening will feature a series of short presentations, musical interludes, networking opportunities and more!

Speakers include:
Nick Savaidis, Etiko Fair Trade;
Mitch O’Sullivan, Waterwall Solutions;
Samantha Parsons, Family of Sam design;
Alexi Lynch, Australia Manager, Cities for Climate Protection, ICLEI & Co-founder, the Environmental Jobs Network;
Cathy Parry, Owner of Ron D Swan: Bags and Cycling Accessories;
Bruce Rowse, Director, CarbonetiX;
Cam Hines, Co-founder & owner, Mountain Goat Brewery;
Elizabeth Boulton, Founder, Logistick – Sustainable Supply Chain Solutns;
Aldo Penbrook, Central Victorian Carbon Auditing Service.

The Sustainable Cities Round Tables are a regular series of events that showcase local environmental initiatives and encourage networking for people working in urban sustainability issues across the government, academic, industry and community sectors. To view footage of previous events visit www.sustainablemelbourne.com/category/sustainable-cities-round-table/.

Please forward this invitation to others who may be interested in attending.

Best,
Ferne

Ferne Edwards
Sustainable Cities Research Officer
Victorian Eco-Innovation Laboratory (VEIL)
Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society (ACSIS)

Please find information below about “The Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods: Strategic Local Climate Solutions”, originally published by the National Association of Counties.

The Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods: Strategic Local Climate Solutions, a web-based resource, provides strategies, tips, and tools that counties can use to take immediate action on climate change through: green building, green neighborhoods, and sustainable infrastructure. The Playbook is designed both for communities that are considering making the first steps toward these, as well as for those who want to take existing efforts to a new level.

This webinar from the National Association of Counties addresses how counties can put the Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods to use. This is just one of a series of webinars that NACo is offering through the Green Government Initiative.

Registration is required; the webinar will run from 1:30pm – 3:30pm Eastern time.

In addition to county case studies, this webinar will cover:
An explanation of the link between climate change and green building, neighborhoods and sustainable infrastructure
How to utilize the playbook, regardless of what stage your county is at
Additional resources available to assist your county in your efforts.

To find out more about this resource visit http://www.greenplaybook.org/.

As part of its Spring-Summer 2008 series, Re: NY Recycle | Retrofit | Reinvent the City,

The Skyscraper Museum presents:

New Verizons
Date:July 22, 2008
Time: 6:30 PM

Location:
NYPL Donnell Library Auditorium,
20 West 53rd St. between 5th & 6th

“New Verizons” looks at the high-value real estate portfolio of buildings erected for 20th-century telephone technology and how developers, architects, and engineers are retrofitting and re-positioning these properties.

Project teams present two case studies:
375 PEARL STREET

• Rick Cook, Partner, Cook + Fox Architects LLP
• Douglas Winshall, Executive Vice President, Taconic Investment Partners

1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS

• Dan Shannon, Partner, Moed de Armas & Shannon Architects
• Douglas Mass, President, Cosentini Associates
• Frank Frankini, Senior Vice President, Equity Office Properties

COST

• FREE Museum & Corporate Members
• $5 Students & Seniors
• $10 Adults

Individual Membership Form

Payment may be made in cash at the door. 1.0 CEUs available. Please contact programs[AT]skyscraper.org or call 212-945-6324 with any questions.

URL: www.skyscraper.org/reny

Posted on the InfoLink website, www.infolink.com.au, is a story about how the Gold Coast’s Ecovillage at Currumbin has recently been awarded three prestigious sustainability awards. Please find an abstract of this article below and to view the entire article visit http://www.infolink.com.au/c/Ritek-Building-Solutions/Australian-ecovillage-receives-sustainability-awards-n806190.

Australian ecovillage receives sustainability awards
The Ecovillage has been acknowledged as the world leader in ecologically sustainable development. Beating more than 100 international commercial and residential developments, the Ecovillage took out the highest honour in word real estate Environmental Development category at the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) Prix d’Excellence Awards in the Netherland’s recently. In the same week, the Ecovillage was awarded the United Nations Association of Australia’s Environmental Development Award.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has just announced the GreenSmart Award for the Australian Building of the year and the winner is, you’ve guessed it - an Ecovillage building, the Living Laboratory Home.

At the heart of the award winning home is the roof, providing many unexpected benefits to designer Will Collins. Will said, “The owner originally specified the Ritek custom roof panel which I had not incorporated in my designs before. The roof’s strength allows for large unsupported spans of up to 8 metres and the sleek aesthetic curves complement the Ecovillage’s unique natural environment. The brilliant cantilever capability of up to half the back span provides protection from the summer sun. The thin profile and simplicity of construction meant that supports such as purlins and rafters were unnecessary. The galvanised finish on the roof also ensures high quality water is harvested from the rain and dew.”

To view the entire article visit http://www.infolink.com.au/c/Ritek-Building-Solutions/Australian-ecovillage-receives-sustainability-awards-n806190.

Please find an update from the Green Map headquarters below. The Green Map System, http://www.greenmap.org/, supports local Green Mapmakers as they create perspective-changing community ‘portraits’ which act as comprehensive inventories for decision-making and as practical guides for residents and tourists. Over 350 vibrant Green Maps have published to date, and hundreds more have been created in classrooms and workshops by youth and adults. To learn more about the Green Map System visit http://www.greenmap.org/.

An abstract from the latest newsletter from Green Map Systems:

Open Green Map on a Roll!

The enthusiasm is building as the Open Green Map project goes into full-scale production. Already a finalist in the NetSquared Challenge and presented at Beyond Broadcasting and Where 2.0 conferences, this inclusive, participatory social mapping website will put thousands of hopeful green sites from around the world on the map! Open Green Map will also share the public’s insights, images and impacts about each of these significant places.

Mixing social networking, familiar Google Map technology and Green Map’s award-winning iconography, Open Green Map will create a common platform for Green Mapmakers, Green Map users, and a global public that is becoming more and more adept at living green. Users of OGM will be able to select the themes they are most interested in, and explore the world from a fresh vantage point. They will also have quick access to the unique ‘traditional’ Green Maps published locally in each city, town or region.

We believe that every community has resources to help individuals build healthier, greener communities together. But up until now, too many people lack the awareness and access they need to find and connect with those resources. Open Green Map will energize the booming green innovation, ‘go local’, regeneration and ecotourism movements with social networking and interactive mapping, empowering widespread participation in critical local environment, climate and equity issues worldwide.

This season, a dozen dedicated staff members and interns in our New York office, alongside Green Map partners around the world, are hard at work (preview at OpenGreenMap.org). In July, we’ll open the site to our network of locally led Green Map projects. We’re targeting September for our public launch – you will be among the first to know the exact date!

To learn more about the Green Map System visit http://www.greenmap.org/.

Please see some information below about a novel idea from Herdshare, http://herdshare.com/. I, for one, would love to learn more about it. Do you know of any other similar examples? Comments are welcome!

Milk from your own cow!
As the ‘locavore’ movement gains momentum, we’re realising the benefit of sourcing our food locally more and more. Here’s a new initiative to help us source raw milk locally too. It’s called ‘Herdshare‘. How it works is you pay a farmer a fee for boarding your cow, (or share of a cow), caring for and milking the cow. You then obtain (but don’t purchase) the milk from your own cow… It’s kinda like owning a share in a crop, racehorse or a bull, but better. It’s still in the development stages, but if enough of us express our interest it really could happen.

If you are interested please pass it on or register here http://herdshare.com/

Please see the “Call for Nominations” notice below from Climate Change Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities.

We are announcing the 2008 “Call for Nominations” The Better Air Quality (BAQ) - 2008 Young Voices Award on Urban Air Pollution and Climate Change Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) encourages new thinking and approaches to deal with the problems of urban air pollution and climate change in Asia. http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/channel.html

So far, traditional approaches used in dealing with urban air pollution and climate change have not produced enough results nor are seen to create significant impacts in the future. It is therefore important to consult with the next generation of air quality and climate changes policy makers, experts and managers. The 2008 Young Voices Award on Urban Air Pollution and Climate Change (the Young Voices) will be handed out for the first time at the Better Air Quality (BAQ) 2008 workshop, which will be held from 12-14 November 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand (Further details can be found here: BAQ Awards, “Young Voices Award”: http://baq2008.org).

Eligible for the Young Voices award are full/part - time students currently enrolled at Universities or Colleges in an academic degree (undergraduate or advanced degree) program in a subject that is of relevance to urban air pollution and climate change in Asia. The maximum age at the time of BAQ 2008 (12-14 November, 2008) is 25 years. There is no geographical restriction on participation in this competition and students from all over the world can participate. The award committee will however consider the ideas submitted for their relevance for Asia. If applications are submitted on behalf of a group the application form should clearly indicate who the person is who will present at BAQ 2008 if the awards committee selects the submission as one of the winners.

Deadline:
Please send form and attachments (if applicable) to baq2008 @cai-asia.org and cornie.huizenga @cai-asia.org before 15 August 2008. Only electronic applications will be considered.